in the picture

from the archive

Magazine

Mar 4, 2015

Awareness of the dangers of Beijing's skies is on the rise, thanks to growing data on its air quality. Rising public discontent over the state of the environment has proved a powerful catalyst for change amid signs the government is starting to take the environment seriously. China will "declare war on pollution," Premier Li Keqiang told parliament in an opening address in 2014. A tougher environmental law took effect on January 1 this year.

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A combination picture shows a commercial building on a sunny day (L) and a polluted day in Beijing. Pictures taken November 17, 2014 (L) and January 14, 2015 (R). KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS